<p>Bengaluru: Ahead of the Kerala assembly elections on April 9, voters based in Bengaluru have begun finalising travel plans to their home districts to cast their votes.</p>.<p>Many groups of youngsters — students and working professionals — are carpooling to beat rising bus and flight fares.</p>.<p>IT professional Shahid Kamal, 29, said three colleagues from his office, all from in and around Kannur, decided to carpool rather than pay Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 each for a bus ticket. "There are very few buses available," he said.</p>.<p>Solution architect Neetu S, 37, said she noticed more people in her office making proactive plans to travel home and vote. "In my office, too, many are planning to travel together," she told DH.</p>.<p>Neetu plans to drive to Kozhikode this weekend with her husband and children to avoid the rush closer to polling day.</p>.<p>Many in the 25 to 40 age group are also working to spread awareness in their communities about the importance of voting.</p>.<p>MBA student Karthik Sudhir said the attitude of indifference among those who left Kerala had slowed the state's development.</p>.Kerala Assembly Elections 2026 | West Asia tensions cast uncertainty over 'vote flights' for Keralites in Gulf.<p>"My friends and I are urging all students to head back home even if it is just for one or two days to cast their vote. We have received a positive response," he said.</p>.<p>IT professional Arjun MS, from Kozhikode, is driving down to vote for the first time since moving to Bengaluru.</p>.<p>"My wife and I felt this was necessary as change is necessary. You can clearly see that in the last 10 years, there has been no big initiative in Kerala. The changes you are seeing in Kerala are either a continuation of the previous government's work or developments that are supposed to happen with any government in power. There is a similar sentiment among many, so we are expecting mass polling in the northern parts of Kerala," he said.</p>.<p>Sanjay Alex, Kerala State Head (Sports) of the All-India Professionals' Congress, said about 2,000 voters would travel with the organisation in the coming week.</p>.<p>"We have arranged 15 buses so far, and another 15 are also being arranged. We plan to head out from Bengaluru on the evening of April 8. Many people have proactively reached out to us for assistance, especially from the Malabar region, covering Kannur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kasargod and surrounding areas," he said.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Ahead of the Kerala assembly elections on April 9, voters based in Bengaluru have begun finalising travel plans to their home districts to cast their votes.</p>.<p>Many groups of youngsters — students and working professionals — are carpooling to beat rising bus and flight fares.</p>.<p>IT professional Shahid Kamal, 29, said three colleagues from his office, all from in and around Kannur, decided to carpool rather than pay Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 each for a bus ticket. "There are very few buses available," he said.</p>.<p>Solution architect Neetu S, 37, said she noticed more people in her office making proactive plans to travel home and vote. "In my office, too, many are planning to travel together," she told DH.</p>.<p>Neetu plans to drive to Kozhikode this weekend with her husband and children to avoid the rush closer to polling day.</p>.<p>Many in the 25 to 40 age group are also working to spread awareness in their communities about the importance of voting.</p>.<p>MBA student Karthik Sudhir said the attitude of indifference among those who left Kerala had slowed the state's development.</p>.Kerala Assembly Elections 2026 | West Asia tensions cast uncertainty over 'vote flights' for Keralites in Gulf.<p>"My friends and I are urging all students to head back home even if it is just for one or two days to cast their vote. We have received a positive response," he said.</p>.<p>IT professional Arjun MS, from Kozhikode, is driving down to vote for the first time since moving to Bengaluru.</p>.<p>"My wife and I felt this was necessary as change is necessary. You can clearly see that in the last 10 years, there has been no big initiative in Kerala. The changes you are seeing in Kerala are either a continuation of the previous government's work or developments that are supposed to happen with any government in power. There is a similar sentiment among many, so we are expecting mass polling in the northern parts of Kerala," he said.</p>.<p>Sanjay Alex, Kerala State Head (Sports) of the All-India Professionals' Congress, said about 2,000 voters would travel with the organisation in the coming week.</p>.<p>"We have arranged 15 buses so far, and another 15 are also being arranged. We plan to head out from Bengaluru on the evening of April 8. Many people have proactively reached out to us for assistance, especially from the Malabar region, covering Kannur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kasargod and surrounding areas," he said.</p>